Mahananda Timalsina
Sr. Communication Officer, NSET
As we reached Laduk village after an hour’s motorbike
ride from Singati Bazaar on a dusty and bumpy road, Tapendra Subedi, 35, was
moving about a local teashop with the help of crutches. The moment we met him and had introduced ourselves,
Subedi, with tearful eyes, thanked the Baliyo Ghar programme for fulfilling his
dream of rebuilding his house flattened by the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. To
express his gratitude to the Baliyo Ghar programme, beaming in happiness,
Subedi offered juice to each of us and insisted that we accept it.
Tragic road accident in Koteshwor
Subedi is a disabled person from Laduk of Bigu Rural
Municipality, in the northern part of Dolakha, some 60 kilometres from
Charikot, the district headquarters. Around 10 years back, he was a normal
person living happily with his wife in Kathmandu. He worked as a helper at a
private school in Jadibuti.
While still serving at the school, he had a tragic road accident in
Koteshwor that left him inflicted. To make matters worse, his spinal cord
injury was not immediately known. Subedi, who was rushed to the Tribhuvan
University Teaching Hospital after the accident, was discharged by doctors the
very next day following treatment for minor leg injuries. But he continued to
suffer while the cause of his ailment remained undiagnosed for long despite
consultations with scores of doctors at various hospitals in Kathmandu.
Later, it was revealed that he had sustained severe
spinal cord injuries in the accident. By the time the problem was diagnosed, it
was too late. In spite of spending a lot of money and time on treatment, his
injuries were not fully cured. Now a steel rod has been placed in his back.
Lost father during treatment
Mr. Subedi can neither sit nor walk. He is able only
to stand and lie down. In an equally great misfortune, he lost his father as
his treatment was ongoing. While he faced stress and trauma following his
accident, his father's demise robbed him of all the care and financial resources
for his treatment.
Subedi’s life is now fully dependent on others as he
can hardly move. His physical condition is an extra burden on his wife, who is
the sole breadwinner for the family. Currently, his wife is in India with their
two daughters as part of her employment. She has been sending him money.
Overwhelmed by his emotions, Subedi shared, “The accident has taken away all
the joys and colours of my life.”
Survived Gorkha Earthquake but lost home
The April 25, 2015 earthquake was another severe blow
to Subedi’s already tormented life as it devastated his house. Luckily, Subedi
and his family members survived. When the quake struck, he was undergoing
treatment at the seventh floor of a private hospital in Kathmandu. He safely
came down to the ground immediately after the tremors stopped.
His family members, who were at their house in Laduk
village, had managed to flee while the ground was still shaking. The earthquake
forced his family of five including three daughters to live in a temporary
shelter. In the midst of their sorrow, the NSET/Baliyo Ghar programme came as a
savior, rekindling Subedi's hope for owning a house again, which he had given
up earlier.
Baliyo Ghar fulfilled dream of
rebuilding house
It’s been around a year since Mr. Subedi moved into his newly built
house after living approximately for one-and-a-half years in the temporary
shelter. Owing to his disability and poor economic condition, Subedi had lost
his hope that he would ever rebuild his house despite getting a government
assistance of Rs 300,000 for the purpose. According to him, the government
grant was too little and not easily accessible considering the criteria
required to be fulfilled.
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Newly built house of Tapendra Subedi at Laduk, Dolakha
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The Baliyo Ghar programme chose Subedi as one of it's
On-the Job Training (OJT) beneficiaries and assisted him in building an
earthquake resistant house as part of the OJT component. Subedi first met
Shambhu Ram, a social development officer for Baliyo Ghar in Laduk village, and
asked for assistance in rebuilding his flattened house. Ram initially discussed
the request with the community members and leaders and then the Baliyo Ghar
programme office in Dolakha before proceeding with the proposal.
Considering his physical as
well as economic condition, the Baliyo Ghar programme selected him for the OJT
in tune with the set criteria. The project was the first of its kind in the
village.
Following approval of the proposal, reconstruction of
Subedi’s house was carried out with close monitoring by Baliyo Ghar
technicians. Subedi provided the required construction materials to the
technicians and masons on time although it was a very challenging task since
they have to be transported all the way from Singati Bazaar. Two workers
employed by Subedi and six trainee masons deployed by NSET constructed the
house in exactly 50 days. Including Subedi, a total of 1,183 beneficiaries were
eligible for the government grant for reconstruction in Laduk village. A total
of 382 houses have been reconstructed in the village so far. “Life under
temporary shelter was difficult as we tolerated extreme heat in summer and
extreme cold during winter. The
rainy season made it worse,” said Subedi. “Harsh weather conditions and
poor accommodation under the temporary shelter had made living like a hell.”
Subedi's happiness knows no bounds to get to live with
his family in a newly constructed house that can withstand future earthquakes.
“Baliyo Ghar programme gave me a ray of hope in my life,” he says. “As told by
engineers, my house has all the features required in a quake-resistant house.”
The Baliyo Ghar programme has not only given him a safe house that can
withstand future tremblors but also enhanced his knowledge of safe reconstruction
techniques. He learnt about it from the NSET mobile team initially and from
technicians involved in rebuilding his house later while he closely observed
the building techniques.
Subedi takes pride in sharing that he is now able to
teach others about safe construction techniques. Being the first house to be
built in the village as part of the OJT component of Baliyo Ghar programme,
many people from the village visited his house while he briefed them on the
construction process.
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